Bringing heart, celebration and stupidity to some deep subjects, Mara Joy also attempts to figure out if she can be a robot and clown at the same time in her new work-in-progress show ‘I Am [Not] a Robot’.

Perhaps most recognisable as part of the improv group, The Spontaneous Players, Mara Joy has harnessed her skills in improv and clowning (as she says herself, “If you can use all these things, then why wouldn’t you?”), and has making strides on her own in stand-up, being a semi-finalist for LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year 2024.

Following on directly from her first solo show ‘Joybenius’, this WIP serves as a culmination of some of her best shorter sets, while (maybe) answering the question – is she secretly a robot?

Based on the title of your show, can you think of one particular time you felt like you might be a robot?

There are hundreds of moments I can think of. Generally speaking, I remember being at school dance and I was just sitting there going, ‘This doesn’t hold any appeal to me.’ And I remember thinking at that moment, going, ‘Of course not – robots don’t dance.’ I remember being at the – I wanna say 1997 Scottish Cup final. And everyone in that stadium stood up and roared and cheered and… this doesn’t compute. Well done for these 11 men, I don’t know them.

Big, emotional reactions to things – I couldn’t understand why. Being obsessed with sci-fi at a young age… it couldn’t be that I might have some autistic tendencies. No, no, no, it’s that I am literally a robot.

Who is your favourite/least favourite robot?

Oh, that’s such a great question. Data, he is pretty great. Brent Spiner’s performance is incredible. I love R2-D2 because… could not be more diametrically opposed to the character of Data. He’s a little trash can that rolls around and bleeps. More personality in that little body than most actors can provide. I love both of them.

You describe this WIP as a direct through-line from your previous show, ‘Joybenius’. What else did you learn from that?

The last show was very tech-heavy, very clearly linear, and had to happen in this order. And I realised that only a robot could properly do that show. I realised what I actually wanted to do was a show that was a bit more fluid, reactive, and dependant on what crowd was in. Taking a bit more from the clown side of things. But also just to be human, which is ironic… In order to make it less robotic we have to make it more directly about robots.

You have an extensive improv background – what do you think this brings to your stand-up?

Clowning and improv are always a work-in-progress. Only stand-up has the audacity to claim it has a finished product. It never made sense for me to ignore that experience and just go, ‘I’ve got all this experience but I’m going to write some tightly-written jokes.’ If something gets a laugh that I wasn’t expecting to get a laugh, I can just follow that rabbit hole.

What makes Glasgow audiences special?

This is going to sound to mean towards Edinburgh audiences. It feels more like performing to real people. In general, [they] are simultaneously more welcoming and slightly less forgiving. Like, hey, I’m excited for you to try and make me laugh, but if you don’t make me laugh, I won’t pretend. And I think that’s genuinely great.

There’s great value in stupid humour, esp. when broaching serious subjects – is this your intent for the show?

I have a bit [not in this show] where I get possessed by the ghost of Macho Man Randy Savage which is the stupidest bit because… it’s me as a trans woman giving advice from a character literally called Macho Man. Similarly, this is going to be a show about robots but it’s actually probably a show… about identity. Being honest about these things on stage, while being very, very stupid is the way that makes most sense for me to tackle some really difficult subject matter. The whole concept of a biological woman… and I’m going, ‘Wait, so, am I mechanical woman?’ I hope that they see themselves reflected in this, or if they don’t have that experience they can watch and go, ‘That was really funny but also that sounds really tough.’

Sum up your show in five words?

Am I robot or dancer?

[Cue The Killers’ song?]

‘I AM (NOT) A ROBOT (WIP)’ will be at Gael & Grain on Sun 15th Mar 2025 at 16:45 as part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival